Norwegian born Margarethe Cammermeyer who is a naturalised American, served as a Colonel in the Washington National Guard, In 1961 she had joined the Army Nurse Corps and over time received a B.S. in nursing and then she earned a master’s degree in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1991. With such impressive qualifications and an impeccable service record, Cammermeyer was due for promotion but this was where she would be required to take a routine security clearance interview.
Although she had once been married to a man and given birth to four sons, Cammermeyer had got divorced in 1980 and In 1988, when she was 46, she met the woman who would later become her wife, Diane Divelbess.
At the interview Cammermeyer felt compelled to tell the truth and disclose that she was a lesbian. She knew there was a very good chance under regulations which forbade LGBTQ people serving in the Armed Forces, that she risked being forced out. She was right, and on June 11, 1992, the National Guard honorably discharged her.
Most of us know that story from the media coverage at the time or from the Made-For-TV-Film that Barbra Streisand produced at the time. It won its star Glen Close an Emmy, but despite that the reviews complained of the sheer lack of passion in the telling of this very important story.
That TV movie was called Serving in Silence, whereas Cindy L. Abel’s new documentary about the case is Surviving The Silence. Abel’s version of events of the affair is taken from a totally different angle that will completely surprise nearly everyone.
It starts with the story of Col. Pat Thompson and her now wife Barbara Brass. Thompson had served in the Army her whole working life rapidly moving up the ladder and being given important assignments around the globe. She and Brass had been in a closeted relationship for decades and although they lived together went to extraordinary lengths to maintain a strict secrecy. Listening to their stories unfold and hear all the sacrifices they maintained not to jeopardise either Thompson’s career or their relationship, are tough to hear at times.
Then in 1992 when Thompson was just two years away from retirement she received an order from her commanding officer that she was to preside over the military review board investigating Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer.
Listening to Thompson now as she outlined her limited options in what course she could take is completely engrossing. Without knowledge of all her facts it would have been so easy to jump to an outsiders conclusion which would have been so wrong. As this part of the story plays out, having a lesbian in charge of the Inquiry turned out to be the best thing that could have happened even though it meant discharging Cammermeyer at the time.
Thompson’s involvement remained a secret until 2013 when she and Barbara, now married, decided to go public for the very first time at a college speaking engagement in Northern California. It was a remarkable turn of events for this immensely private couple to share this experience that made a major impact on not just the whole Dont Ask Dont Tell scenario but also in LGBTQ rights in general.
Filmmaker Cindy L. Abel was also in the audience that night and that became the start of the re-telling of this crucial part of our gay history. What is still hard to sink in for us of a certain age (!) is that this all part of a recent past, and is probably totally unbelievable for millenials who have never had to deal with anything like this.
Abel allowed Thompson and her wife to tell their story in their own words which made it seem so much more powerful. It gave us a crucial human element that reminded us so beautifully that these are people’s lives and not just mere statistics in a history book.
This is totally unmissable for anyone who cares about our LGBTQ history
P.S. The documentary will have its World Digital Screening Premiere on 1/6/20 on http://www.ashlandfilm.org/. Otherwise check https://www.survivingthesilence.com/the-filmfor all future screenings.
